Good for hungry boys and girls: cracked wheat and tempeh stand in for hamburger in a home-style casserole - includes recipes

Vegetarian Times, August, 1996 by Nancy Ross Ryan

I'm a 34-year-old male who does not have a lot of time to cook. When I do, I enjoy trying stuff from Vegetarian Times. Hungry Boys Casserole was one of my favorite meals that my mother would make for me as a child. The last time I was at a family get-together, I copied her recipe. I hope you pick this for your "Recipe Redux" so l can once again enjoy it! --R. W., Union City, Calif.

Mom's casserole turned out to be a real challenge: a mixture of ground beef sauteed with celery, onion, green pepper and garlic, then simmered with chickpeas and canned pork and beans. The casserole was topped with homemade buttery biscuit pinwheels stuffed with a mixture of casserole meat, slivered almonds and sliced stuffed green olives.

Her son's affection for this dish is readily understandable with its rich supplies of fat and salt--two great flavor enhancers. Her recipe is also economical, easy to prepare and hearty enough to satisfy a family full of hungry kids. The challenge was to find a flavorful substitute for ground beef and to cut back on the fat and salt--without sacrificing the flavor.

Prepared vegetarian burger mixes proved too dry; texturized vegetable protein too bland. Tofu was too soft; seitan too cohesive. Frozen, ready-to-cook vegetarian burgers pushed the price of an originally economical dish a bit on the high side.

Happily, however, two flavorful alternatives were found in cracked wheat and tempeh. Cracked wheat (not to be confused with bulgur, which is steamed, then dried) is uncooked wheat that is dried and coarsely milled. It holds its texture nicely during cooking without becoming soft and mushy. Tempeh is a fermented cooked soybean product that is a staple in Indonesia. Try out both casseroles on your hungry crew to see which one they prefer.

Hungry Boys Casserole I

Cracked wheat, a too-often-overlooked grain , recommends itself as a pilaf-style side dish and as a hearty hot breakfast cereal. Here it is used in combination with finely chopped mushrooms as a flavorful substitute for the original recipe's ground beef. Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas to decrease sodium content.

Casserole filling: 2 tsp. olive oil 1 cup thinly sliced celery cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 2 garlic cloves, crushed, then minced 8 oz. white or brown mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, minced 6-oz. can tomato paste 3 1/3 cups water 1 tsp. unsulfured molasses (see glossary, p. 102) 1 tsp. salt 3/4 cup cracked wheat 15-oz. can vegetarian baked beans 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Biscuit topping: 1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour 3 Tbs. toasted wheat germ (see glossary, p. 102) 1 Tbs. baking powder 1 Tbs. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 3 Tbs. canola oil 2/3 cup buttermilk or clabbered soymilk (see note) 1/4 cup sliced green pimento-stuffed olives 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Filling: Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute celery, onion, green pepper and garlic, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Add mushrooms to skillet; reduce heat to medium. Saute mushrooms, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are cooked through and juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste, water, molasses and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to boil. Slowly add cracked wheat in thin stream, stirring constantly. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 25 minutes, occasionally uncovering to scrape bottom with spatula to prevent sticking.

Add baked beans and chickpeas. Stir to combine. Simmer uncovered while preparing biscuits, stirring bottom frequently to prevent sticking.

Topping: In medium bowl combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir with whisk to mix. In measuring cup, add oil to buttermilk or soymilk; add to flour. Stir with fork until mixture leaves sides of bowl.

Turn out on floured board. Knead briefly. Roll into 12- by 8-inch rectangle, sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking. Spread with olives and almonds. Roll up starting with 12-inch side. Cut into 1-inch pieces with sharp serrated knife.

Transfer bean mixture to glass, ceramic or stainless steel casserole that measures at least 12- by 8-inches, or 10-inches round and is 2 inches deep. Top with biscuits spaced so that they do not touch.

Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 8 servings of about 1 cup filling and I biscuit each. Note: To clabber soymilk, measure specified fed amount in glass container. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir once. Let sit for 5 minutes.

PER SERVING 3 88 CAL.: 13G PROT.: 11G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT.); 63G CARB.; 1MG CHOL.; 1,142MG SOD.; 11G FIBER. LACTO

Hungry Boys Casserole II

Tempeh is used not only to replace beef but for its own sake as well. It is flavorful, nutritious, has a wonderful texture when chopped and--unlike unfermented beans--is easy to digest.

Casserole filling: 2 tsp. olive oil 1 cup thinly sliced celery cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 2 cloves garlic, crushed. then minced 8 oz. white or brown mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and minced 8-oz. pkg. plain tempeh, chopped 6-oz. can tomato paste 1 1/3 cups water 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. unsulfured molasses (see glossary, p. 102) 15-oz. can vegetarian baked beans 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed